1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image transmission apparatus such as an MFP (Multi-Functional Peripheral) or the like, and its relevant technique.
2. Description of the Background Art
In an image transmission by an MFP, a multi-address (multi-destination) transmission in which an image is transmitted simultaneously to a plurality of destinations (addresses) is sometimes performed. In more detail, a destination specifying area is displayed on a touch panel for operation in an MFP. In the destination specifying area, a plurality of options corresponding to a plurality of destinations, respectively, are arranged in alignment in one row or a plurality of rows. An operator finds a plurality of desired options among the plurality of options and sequentially presses a plurality of buttons corresponding to the plurality of desired options, to thereby perform an operation for specifying the plurality of desired options as destinations. Then, the operator presses a start button or the like, to thereby transmit an image.
Further, recent MFPs have various image transmission functions. For example, there are image transmission functions such as an image transmission by facsimile, transmission of image data attached to an E-mail, and the like. Especially, the recent MFPs can transmit one piece of image data through one transmission operation by specifying a plurality of above various destinations in the multi-destination transmission, and in such a case, the number of destinations tends to particularly increase.
In such a case, using wrong destinations in the image transmission (wrong transmission) should be avoided. When a large number of destinations are to be specified, however, such wrong transmission is particularly liable to occur.
As a technique to suppress occurrence of such wrong transmission, there is a technique for displaying a destination list in which specified destinations are listed (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid Open Gazette No. 2008-259143 (Patent Document 1) and Japanese Patent Application Laid Open Gazette No. 2002-368929 (Patent Document 2)).
Patent Documents 1 and 2, however, disclose techniques in each of which a destination list is always displayed in a destination specifying area. In the case where a destination list is always displayed in a destination specifying area, at least one of the area for the destination list and the destination specifying area has to be reduced, and sufficiently effective use of display space is not necessarily made. Further, when it is intended to ensure a certain degree of size or more of the destination specifying area, a display area for the destination list decreases and characters of the destinations become smaller. As a result, it becomes hard to check the destinations and disadvantageously, the effect of suppressing the wrong transmission is remarkably reduced.
Further, while the higher model of MFP is provided with a relatively large operation panel, the lower model thereof is provided with a relatively small operation panel, due to requirements for cost reduction and the like, in most cases. Especially, in the case where the destination list is always displayed in the destination specifying area in the lower model of MFP or the like, the destination list is liable to be displayed relatively small and therefore the wrong transmission is liable to occur.